Binge Eating Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States—but it's often hidden behind closed doors, fueled by shame, secrecy, and self-blame. BED involves eating unusually large amounts of food in a short period of time (often within a few minutes to a few hours), paired with a sense of losing control and feeling deeply distressed afterward.
What many people don’t realize is that BED isn’t about “lack of willpower” or simply “eating too much.” It’s often an attempt to soothe emotional pain or disconnect from overwhelming feelings. And it affects people across all genders, sizes, and backgrounds. In fact, around 40% of those who seek treatment for BED are men, and up to 40% of people seeking weight-loss treatment meet the criteria for this diagnosis.
One client, whom I’ll call “Jordan,” shared this insight: “It wasn’t even about being hungry—I just needed the noise in my head to stop. I’d eat past fullness, sometimes barely tasting the food, and then I’d sit there hating myself, promising it would be the last time.”
In therapy, Jordan began to build a different kind of relationship with himself—one that didn’t involve harsh inner criticism or quick fixes. Using approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we explored the parts of him that used food to manage pain, and the deeper needs beneath those patterns—needs for comfort, safety, and relief. Over time, he learned to respond to those needs with care rather than compulsion.
According to the DSM-5, Binge Eating Disorder includes the following criteria:
Recurrent episodes of binge eating, marked by:
Eating a quantity of food that is significantly larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time
Feeling a lack of control over eating during the episode
Binge episodes include three (or more) of the following behaviors:
Eating much more rapidly than usual
Eating until uncomfortably full
Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry
Eating alone due to embarrassment
Feeling disgusted, depressed, or very guilty afterward
These episodes cause significant emotional distress
They occur at least once a week for three months
The binge eating isn’t accompanied by purging or extreme compensatory behaviors, and doesn’t occur solely during other eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa
If this resonates with your experience, please know that there’s nothing “broken” about you. Parts of you may be trying desperately to help you cope, even in ways that feel out of control or harmful. Therapy can help you slow down, listen to those parts with curiosity and compassion, and begin to respond to your emotional needs in more nourishing, life-affirming ways.
Freedom from the binge-shame cycle is possible—and it doesn’t require punishing yourself into change. It starts with kindness, awareness, and the courage to begin again.